10 Stories of Hotch & Reid
by skye-hunter
Summary: Ten individual short stories all involving SSA Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner and Dr Spencer Reid and based off a certain quote from AFI's list of 100 Greatest Films. Rating as a precaution for certain story themes.
1. Moment of Doubt

**Moment of Doubt**

**Summary**: After struggling in relative silence Reid expresses his doubt about the BAU

**Quote**: "Don't you sometimes wonder if it's worth all this? I mean what you're fighting for." - "You might as well question why we breathe. If we stop breathing, we'll die. If we stop fighting our enemies, the world will die." - "Well, what of it? It'll be out of its misery." ~ Casablanca

* * *

To say Reid's behavior after the Henkel case was erratic would be putting it mildly. He was jumpy, defensive whenever he felt his abilities were questioned (which was far too frequently), and there were times when the young agent slept on the plane and would shift, roll, mutter, and occasionally even whimper, clearly in the midst of a flashback-style nightmare. Hotch noticed and, he imagined, so did the rest of the team, but for the sake of peace, no one had said anything as of yet.

Though Hotch knew he'd have to speak to his subordinate soon after Reid's latest outburst, one that nearly cost the team the cooperation of local authorities. He'd pulled Reid aside and reprimanded him for the outburst almost immediately, but that only seemed to fuel the younger man's anger. It'd been so much easier before Reid had been kidnapped and tortured by Henkel, before the darkness of their job crept in and tainted what had once been a pure heart and pure soul. These days Reid was a different person; one Hotch sometimes had trouble understanding and communicating with.

"Don't you sometimes wonder if it's worth all this?" Reid questioned Hotch as he sat across from him, "I mean what you're fighting for." No, not questioned, challenged.

SSA Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner, his boss, leader of the BAU, the man in charge, looked up in silence, completely without an answer. He stalled for time, looking around at the rest of the members of his team as they slept or started their paperwork, then turned back to his youngest colleague and leaned in some even though the privacy was unnecessary. "You might as well question why we breathe. If we stop breathing, we'll die. If we stop fighting our enemies, the world will die."

"Well, what of it? It'll be out of its misery," Reid muttered.

"It or you?" Hotch questioned, letting his normally blank face show concern. He needed Reid to know he worried about him, that he cared. Reid sighed and slumped in his chair some, but said nothing. "Reid, what happened to you…anyone would be affected by. There's no shame in feeling whatever you feel but you can't let the negative pull you down and make you someone you're not. Henkel didn't defeat you when you were face-to-face with him in the graveyard; don't let his ghost and the memory of what he did defeat you now."

"How?" Reid asked softly, his insecurity showing some. "How do I not...let the evil win?"

Hotch gave a small, supportive, smile, "With the help of your friends, with the help of those you work with…With my help, if you'll accept it, Reid."

Reid smiled softly, "Okay." The reply was so pure and honest...It was Reid.


	2. An Impressive Rescue

**An Impressive Rescue**

**Summary**: One agent bound and locked in a room, another at an UNSUB's mercy...who'll save whom?

**Warning**: Some mild violence

**Quote**: "Not a bad bit of rescuing, huh? You know, sometimes I amaze even myself." - "That doesn't sound too hard." ~ Star Wars

* * *

Blood dripped from his nose and lip, onto the leg of his pants, but he remained calm. It was important he stay calm above all things. This man, these types of men, fed off fear like a leech did blood and to give a reaction was to fuel their sadism. Hotch had a full and accurate profile of the man, he knew everything about him…including the fact that this UNSUB would not allow him to leave this room alive. Which brought him to his newest tactic….

"Whatcha doin'? Huh?" The gruff voice of his captor called out suddenly, "Ya think ya can fool me into thinkin' your dead, agent? That it?!" The man's boots thudded as he took wide steps towards Hotch before grabbing the agent hard by the hair, forcing his head back so their eyes met, and then smirking, "You can't fool me, agent, I've been at this too long." The man laughed some as he moved around to face Hotch then bent down to eye his prey carefully, tapping a knife against his outer thigh menacingly.

--

Reid shifted and squirmed against his bindings. He could hear Lawrence in the next room but didn't hear Hotch, which caused his stress levels to rise significantly. The genius agent began to silently pray his boss was still alive, that it wasn't too late to rescue them both, as he twisted a hand free. "Finally," he muttered before using his newly freed hand to begin to tug and claw at the ropes still holding his other wrist to the chair.

There was always an advantage to be found in being seen as the unassuming nerdy type…No one expected much from him. This was especially the case with UNSUBs like Lawrence who considered men like Hotch the only worthy adversaries for them. So while they focused all their efforts and attention on the more obviously strong individuals Reid was left to his own devices.

--

Hotch sucked in his breath sharply as the blade slid into his leg, just under the first few layers of skin. Deep enough to cause extreme pain but not so deep it would be life threatening. He let the air out of lungs first in a bloody cough, then more slowly as his leg began to twitch in pain, the blade still inside of it.

"You know, I think I'm really gonna enjoy this. Haven't had someone give me a real good fight in years. 'Cause, ya know, it's not just the pain, the blood, the screaming, and the pleas for mercy I like, agent…" Lawrence's lips twisted into a cruel smile, "it's the challenge in getting a person to break."

--

Reid freed his other hand then worked swiftly to undo the rope restraints on his legs and, soon, was freed and able to walk around the room. The room was bare though, the window nailed shut and door locked from the outside. The option of breaking the glass of the window occurred to him but it was too risky…it would notify Lawrence that he was freed and likely drive the man to kill them both. He needed to stay quiet and work fast.

He removed his shoes to keep the noise level down then began to examine the floor for loose nails in the wall boards or even walls…anything he could use to pick the lock.

--

Suddenly there was mind-numbing pain as their captor turned the knife, parting more of Hotch's skin from his muscle, and then yanked the knife out brutally. "And your little buddy in the other room ain't gonna help ya," Lawrence commented with a laugh as he wandered over to a nearby table strewn with more knives and other implements of torture, "I mean that kid couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag!"

--

Reid found a nail in the corner of the room and actually managed to pull another out of the windowsill. He began to pick the lock with them and soon heard the familiar click of a bolt sliding back into its original place. The problem now arose of what to do next. He peaked out to see Hotch tied to the chair, his back to him, and Lawrence's shadow just meeting with a pool of Hotch's blood on the floor.

He knew it was the only chance he'd have so quickly moved into the room across the hall and began to search for a viable weapon. He found one under Lawrence's mattress, a pre-loaded handgun…Hardly a surprise considering Lawrence tended towards paranoia. Reid then headed towards the door a little more sure of things now that he had a weapon.

--

Lawrence turned back to Hotch after a few moments with a pair of pliers when a gun was fired. Once. Twice. And Lawrence went down with a thud just a few feet from a rather stunned Hotch. The senior agent made the somewhat pained effort to turn his head, "Reid?" He called out a little dazed and clearly in pain.

"Yeah," Reid rushed to Hotch and began to undo the bonds, keeping the gun close by him. "Not a bad bit of rescuing, huh? You know, sometimes I amaze even myself," Reid joked a little, not sure what else to say as his nerves finally started to get to him.

"That doesn't sound too hard," Lawrence muttered angrily as he pulled himself up with the help of the table, bleeding in a steady rhythm from his chest, only to fall back down after a few steps when Reid fired again, this time striking Lawrence in the head and killing him.


	3. Movie MeetUp

**Movie Meet-Up**

**Summary**: _Hotch stood outside the movie theater, pacing every now and then, as he waited..._

**Quote**: "So you wanna go into the movie or what?" - "No, I can't go into a movie that's already started, because I'm anal." - "That's a polite word for what you are." ~ Annie Hall

* * *

Hotch stood outside the movie theater, pacing every now and then, as he waited. He couldn't even remember why he ever bothered to agree to this, especially with the most scattered person he knew. Sure Reid was relatively organized while at work but outside…Well Hotch suspected Reid's socks never matched because the man simply couldn't ever find a matching pair to begin with. He checked his watch again and sighed, half-hour late for their meet time and fifteen for the movie itself.

Reid leapt off the bus and made a dash for the theater hoping Hotch hadn't bailed. He hadn't meant to be so far behind schedule but first he had to finish his paperwork for the entire week, then his mother called and kept him on the phone a good twenty minutes, and then he'd left the house without his bag, a fact he didn't realize until he'd reached the bus stop some five blocks away. By the time he'd gone back, grabbed his satchel, and returned to the bus stop he was already a good ten minutes late. "Hotch! Hotch!" He called out excitedly, waving a hand to his teammate and friend.

Hotch turned when his name was called out and gave a sigh between relief and frustration as Reid waved and ran towards him. It was about time, Hotch was just about to grow legitimately worried. He also let a small smile brush over his face briefly before giving a more serious look as the younger man came closer, "Where the hell have you been? I've been waiting here for half an hour." He tried to sound cross but knew he wasn't pulling it off; the image of Reid in disarray (his shirt half-tucked, hair sticking out at odd ends, and jacket buttoned wrong) was just too amusing. "Were you attacked by a stampede of wild buffalo or something?"

Once Reid reached Hotch he'd begun to dig through his bag for his wallet so at the question he looked up and replied without thinking. "There hasn't been a record of wild buffalo in this area for years…Actually maybe ever," he returned to searching through his bag, "I…I'd have to look it up to be sure."

The older man gave a laugh, shaking his head some, "Reid it was a figure of speech."

"What?" Reid's head shot up with a confused look, then he turned a little red, "Oh, uh…right. Right, you're right, sorry."

"There's no need to apologize, honestly I'm just glad you made it one piece." Now that Reid was actually here Hotch's annoyance at his tardiness had melted away, replaced with a strange cheerfulness. He hadn't thought about it while waiting but this was the first time he'd been to a movie theater since before Jack was born he was rather excited for the experience. "So you wanna go into the movie or what?"

Reid began to shake his head, "No, I can't go into a movie that's already started, because," he gave a shrug, "I'm anal."

Hotch's lips curled into a soft smile, "That's a polite word for what you are." Reid gave a worried look suddenly causing Hotch to chuckle softly, "I'm teasing, Reid, relax. Would you like to go in and see if we can't find another movie to see or maybe waste a few hours until the next showing of this?"

Reid smiled a little at the reassurance, then more at Hotch's suggestions, "Could we go eat, maybe? I haven't had anything other than a poptart this morning and, well, I really want to see this specific movie."

The other man smiled and nodded, "Sure, Reid, sounds like a plan. Let's go." Hotch headed down the street towards the nearest restaurant with Reid following close behind trying to jam his wallet safely back towards the bottom of his bag.


	4. What It Is

**What It Is**

**Summary**: They have an arrangement, but is it enough for them both?

**Warning**: Mild slash, but not graphic

**Quote**: "It can't be anything like love, can it?" - "No, no, it can't be." - "Would it be inconvenient?" - "Terribly." ~ The Philadelphia Story

* * *

It'd started out as a release for the two men, a way to escape from horrors they saw daily at work, the stresses of their home life, and, mainly, an escape from themselves. Though how it started wasn't important and neither was why, now that Reid thought about it. What was important was the rather obvious fact that they were stuck in a pattern, and one that didn't seem particularly healthy anymore. They were using each other; what started as an effort to escape, to feel good for just a few hours, had become an escape of their responsibilities and, possibly, their own feelings. He used Hotch as a crutch to keep his addiction at bay and Hotch…Hotch seemed to use him to vent his frustrations on. But recently Reid found himself caring more than he should; about their unspoken agreement and about Hotch as well.

"It can't be anything like love, can it?" Reid asked softly as slowly sat up in the bed, keeping the sheet around him some as he reached out for his boxers and pants piled on the floor.

"No," Hotch shook his head as he began to button up his shirt once more, "No, it can't be."

"Would it be inconvenient?" Reid already knew the answer but he needed to hear it for some reason. He slowly got out of the bed, pulling up and then buckling the belt of his pants.

"Terribly."

Reid frowned a little as he picked his shirt, threw it on over his head, and then hand his hands through his hair some to try and control the static that often caused it to become completely unmanageable. "Then what is it?"

Hotch turned from the mirror to see his secret lover standing before him with a quizzical look and gave a small smile. "Whatever we need it to be, like always." That answer had never failed to satisfy the other agent before so Hotch saw no reason it wouldn't now.

"And…and if I need it to be more?"

"Reid…" Hotch wasn't sure what to say exactly. He didn't want a relationship with anyone, but he also wasn't willing to give up whatever it was he had with Reid. He opened his mouth in another attempt to reply when his cell phone went off from where it'd been placed on the dresser; then Reid's went off a moment later where it lay beside Hotch's. "It's time to go back to work." Hotch said simply before grabbing his suit jacket, throwing it on, and then answering the phone.

Reid gave a sigh, nodded, and went to answer his phone as well resigned to the fact that what he and Hotch had, whatever it was, would have to be defined another time.


	5. Anyone Who Comes Here

**Anyone Who Comes Here**

**Summary**: Hotch offers new BAU agent Dr Spencer Reid some words of support

**Quote**: "So you get testy, naturally, don't worry about it! Anybody who comes here ends up getting testy, it's expected. Don't be upset." - "I'm not upset." - "You're testy." - "Yes." ~ Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

* * *

Hotch wasn't entirely sure what Jason Gideon had been thinking plucking some 22 year old kid seemingly out of thin air to be the newest member of the BAU. That being said he trusted Gideon's judgment, trusted that Gideon's selection was correct and, in the end, this Dr Spencer Reid would be a great asset to the team. A judgment he continued to trust even as the young man spent much of his first case stuttering, stammering, rambling, and otherwise seeming like, well, a child amongst cops.

"Hey, you're doing a great job on the case, kid," Morgan said as he went over to Reid who smiled a little, "You haven't raised your hand to ask to go to the bathroom once this time." Morgan added in a playful tease.

Reid frowned and muttered, "I'm not a kid; I can do this job."

Morgan gave a chuckle as he headed out the room, "I'm just joking."

"Well it wasn't funny," the young agent snapped a bit, his brows furrowing in frustration before he turned back to the map he'd been studying. Though he gave a nervous jump, nearly tripping over himself, when Hotch came over to him, "Sorry," he said softly, like a boy who'd just been scolded.

"So you get testy, naturally, don't worry about it," Hotch said with a small, encouraging, smile, "Anybody who comes here ends up getting testy, it's expected. Don't be upset."

"I'm not upset," Reid stated simply before stabbing a pin in a location on the map; his action betraying his words.

Hotch's smile stayed, at least the young man didn't seem nervous about speaking up at the moment. "You're testy." Hotch corrected his vocabulary.

"Yes."

The senior agent nodded some and then moved in closer, "Well you're not the first and you won't be the last, remember that, okay? Even Agent Morgan was testy in the beginning." He watched as Reid gave a small smile and then returned it a bit, "And you really are an asset to the team. Now let us know if you find any links between the where the victims were killed and the dump sites." And with that Hotch left the newest and youngest member of the BAU to his map.


	6. Adventures in Cooking

**Adventures in Cooking**

**Summary**: Hotch requests help from Reid in preparing a meal.

**Quote**: "What's a tennis racket doing in the kitchen?" - "Tennis racket? Oh, I remember, I was cooking myself an Italian dinner. I use it to strain the spaghetti." ~ The Apartment

* * *

Hotch had lived on his own now for some months but, well, he still hadn't quite gotten the hang of it. The first time he'd tried to run a wash he nearly flooded the laundry room with bubbles and he had yet to make anything most would define as edible. He honestly didn't care too much himself, he wasn't at the house enough to concern himself with learning to cook something beyond pasta but when Haley asked him to watch Jack for a whole week (thankfully it was the same week that the BAU had off…provided no emergencies arose) he knew he had to learn to cook at least a little.

Thing was Hotch hadn't a clue where to start…reading directions for meals never really worked the way he'd like and so, on the Thursday night before Jack was due to come over he began to, well, panic a little. He wasn't entirely sure who to turn to for lessons…JJ was with Henry and Will, he doubted Prentiss or Morgan knew how to cook, and Rossi…well he didn't need to know how to cook a four course Italian meal, just something a toddler would eat without making a face. That only left Reid. Hotch wasn't completely sure if Reid knew how to but, considering he'd had to care for himself and his sick mother since he was a boy, odds were in favor that he did. And, better yet, Reid wouldn't judge or gossip about Hotch's culinary shortcomings.

Reid arrived at approximately 9:25pm…He was due at Hotch's at 9pm so, in his way, he was rather early really. Off work time simply no longer applied so, again, 25 minutes late was actually ahead of schedule. He only got one, maybe two, knocks to the door before his superior opened it somewhere between overjoyed and completely panicked. "What? I…I'm here."

"You're 25 minutes late and, well," Hotch started of sternly, then his eyes began to dart, "I tried to go on ahead without you and may have made things worse."

"Worse?" Reid gave a confused look as he made his way into the house past Hotch, "How could you make things worse when we haven't even started?" He'd hate to admit it but there was a small part of him deeply amused by the idea of his always together friend and co-worked falling apart over feeding a toddler. Hotch didn't answer though, he simply closed the door behind Reid and headed into the kitchen allowing the other man to follow. That was answer enough really. The kitchen looked as if the contents of the fridge had exploded over the counters and there were pots and pans on the stove, cooking malodorous concoctions Reid was afraid to ask about. But what caught Reid's eye most was a racket set by the stove. "What's a tennis racket doing in the kitchen?"

"Tennis racket?" Hotch, already trying to clean up some to make room for his next adventure in cooking, turned first to Reid, then over to the racket. "Oh, I remember, I was cooking myself an Italian dinner. I use it to strain the spaghetti."

Reid's lips curled into a smile then began to twitch some as he held back from laughing, "Wow…uh…so you, uh…you haven't a clue what you're doing, do you?"

"No," Hotch confessed before smiling himself.


	7. Say Yes to Life

**Say Yes to Life**

**Summary**: The team go out to celebrate a new life but Reid's not in the mood.

**Quote**: "When a man says no to champagne, he says no to life." ~ The Deer Hunter

* * *

After work, in celebration of the birth of little Henry Jareau-LaMontagne to JJ, Rossi offered to bring the entire team out to dinner at a rather upscale restaurant. He insisted everything was on him and ordered a bottle of champagne for everyone. As a waiter came around to pour the glasses the elder profiler stood up with a smile, "A toast, to the new mother," he announced, lifting his already filled glass to JJ.

"Hear, hear!" Hotch cheered as he stood once his glass had been poured, Morgan and Prentiss following after him. He was in a particularly jovial mood at the moment. Their case had ended well, not only catching the UNSUB but saving two teen girls in the process. He also had been able to see Jack this past weekend and, no matter how dark things seemed, his son always brought the light back to his life. And now, at this moment, he was able to celebrate the joys of parenthood with his teammate and friend, JJ.

Reid, however, was in a slightly more melancholy mood. His mother was no longer responding to her meds like before which meant they'd have to adjust them and, in the meantime, she'd likely be subject to her schizophrenia. And from there grew the concerns that those at the institution wouldn't be able to find the new proper mixture to bring her back to sanity. Worried as he was he wasn't even focused enough to know to get up for the toast, his glass already with champagne in it, until Garcia tugged gently on his arm to get his attention and crooked her finger, decorated by a ring with an oversized bright pink flower on the top, to signal for him to stand as she did.

"Ten little fingers, ten little toes," Rossi began, reciting a traditional poem given at baby showers, once everyone's glass was full…save for JJ's, of course, "the sweetest of smiles and a cute little nose…"

Hotch noted the seeming discontent of his colleague and it lessened some of his joy to see his friend so out of sorts. He was about to suggest Reid smile, for JJ's sake at least, before glasses went to lips and a sip of champagne punctuated Rossi's toast.

The only person who didn't drink was Reid, still wrapped up in his thoughts. It was until Hotch nudged him and nodded to the glass did he even remember having the champagne in his possession. "Oh, uh…" he leaned in to keep the conversation between himself and Hotch, "I, uh…I'm not in the mood for champagne."

Hotch smiled softly at the fellow agent, "When a man says no to champagne, he says no to life." After all it was a drink of celebration and, right now, that celebration was literally life…the new life of Henry and the start of their coworkers life as a mother.

Reid gave a crooked smile, then put to glass to his lips to take a sip. A sip in honor of life.


	8. Reid's Victory

**Reid's Victory**

**Summary**: As the team matches wits with a killer Reid matches wits with a puzzle

**Quote**: "YOU! ARE! A TOY!!!" - "You are one sad, strange, little man." ~ Toy Story

* * *

Reid walked up into the plane after Hotch, his fingers working over the cell phone furiously as he grumbled and mumbled to himself. "Stupid piece of…" he almost growled at the piece of technology.

"Excuse me?" Hotch turned some, brow arched slightly.

"No, not you, this game," Reid muttered, barely glancing up at his boss, "this stupid, annoying, game." It was a game that he'd had Garcia download onto his phone that morning thinking it might be a fun way to kill time on the plane ride home…what it actually was was an infuriating series of puzzles that he couldn't put down for the life of him now that he'd started it.

Hotch watched Reid a moment longer, his eyes focusing in some as his brows furrowed, before gave a small nod, "Just make sure it's not distracting." He knew Reid was capable of playing a simple game and still maintain most, if not still all, his focus on the briefing. The superior officer then went to find a seat. "We need to hit the ground running on this, we have about 12 hours before the UNSUB is scheduled to kill the girl he already has and 24 hours before he takes his next victim."

"Which he'll then keep for two days before killing her as well," Rossi added before turning to JJ expectantly, "But let's hear about the girl he has now…JJ?"

JJ looked through her file a moment, then answered, "Christine Killian…A 22 year old graduate student at the local university who was officially declared missing after she didn't show up to meet with her boyfriend, Rick Denison, last night for a dinner date."

The briefing by his colleagues became little more than white noise as Reid worked feverishly on the puzzles. He was on the last one when he began to mumble angrily at his phone, at the game. And then it happened! He beat it! The solved the very last puzzle and beast the game! "I win!" he cheered, oblivious to the rest of the team as they grew silent to stare at him, "I beat you! And do you know why?" Reid seemed to taunt his phone, "YOU! ARE! A TOY!!!" He laughed some in pure joy at his victory.

Hotch cleared his throat to get Reid's attention before, deadpan, he spoke, "You are one sad, strange, little man." He then gave the smallest hint of a smile before adding, "Put the phone away, we're about to land."


	9. The Shootout

**The Shootout**

**Summary**: Hotch and Reid need each other to win a battle against a duo that's a forced to be reckoned with.

**Quote**: "Is that what you call giving cover?" – "Is that what you call running? If I knew you were going to stroll…" ~ Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

* * *

"We need to make it to the tree line on other side of the path if we have any chance at all," Hotch gave a hurried whisper to his compatriot, "Reid, you cover me from here, see if you can figure out how much ammo they have." The though being Reid could count down per shot…It wouldn't be terribly accurate, but at least it'd be an estimate that they could work off of.

Reid nodded some and began to edge up to the end of the bushes, "You know, I uh…I'm very surprised they haven't taken any shots at us yet. True the odds of hitting us are very low but you'd think at least one of them would try their luck."

Hotch shook his head, "They don't want to risk wasting any bullets, they'd rather wait for the clear, sure, shot." Gun at the read Hotch slowly stood up a bit, just enough to run but still under the cover of the high bushes for the moment. "Okay, I'm making a run for it. Cover me." He stated one last time before making his attempt as crossing the open space to reach the safety of the trees.

He moved as quickly as possible without risking tripping over the uneven ground but he only made it halfway. The first one hit him in the side, the next in the thigh, the third in the shoulder. But the time he made it to the safety of the trees he was covered in paint. "Damn it!" he exclaimed in frustration. He'd hoped to at least outlive Rossi in this game of paintball…he didn't even outlive Reid! Hotch turned to Reid, still hiding behind the barricade of foliage, "Is that what you call giving cover?" The question came out hard with annoyance as the other team – Morgan and Rossi – began to chuckle from a few feet away as they maintained cover behind a number of trees.

"Is that what you call running?" Reid countered with a slight bite to his tone, "If I knew you going to stroll…" his thought was stopped when he caught the sound of a twig breaking and leaned out from his cover to fire. He grinned wide to see he'd struck Morgan right over his heart with a purple paintball.

"Nice shot, man," Morgan admitted, rather stunned he'd been hit at all let alone so accurately.

Reid smiled a little awkwardly, "Uh…not really…I was aiming for the center of your chest." Then he felt a sudden, forceful, impact to his body. Looking down he saw green paint splattered over his stomach. He frowned a little, "You cheated."

Rossi stepped out from behind Morgan with a rather smug smile, "No, he sacrificed himself."

Morgan laughed, "Like hell I did! You just made me a shield once I was already out of the game."

"I see absolutely no difference at this point," Rossi replied with a slightly smug look, rather pleased with himself and his victory. …He wished he could say otherwise, but he wasn't surprised when Hotch, Reid, and Morgan all opened fire on him, covering him in paint splatters.


	10. Don't Fear The Reaper

**Don't Fear The Reaper**

**Summary**: Reid visits Hotch in the hospital.

**Warnings**: Frightening flashbacks, some adult-themed talk, and Season 5 spoilers!

**Quote**: "Weren't you frightened?" – "Frightened? Child, you're talking to a man who's laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe…I was petrified." ~ The Wizard of Oz

* * *

Despite utter exhaustion sleep came in short, five to ten minute, increments. Anything past that and Hotch's body would jerk, muscles seizing painfully, as his mind called back Foyet's knife slipping inside him over and over. The slow, steady, thrusts the blade made as Foyet taunted as the killer lay over his body. The drugs made him woozy and tired, but they didn't erase the memories. Nor did they really slow the agent's thoughts or lessen his grief.

"_Now, I understand that profilers think that stabbing is a substitution for the act of sex," Foyet growled…or was it cooed? "That if somebody's impotent, they'll use a knife instead." The blade shone in the light from the lamp nearby, so bright Hotch felt the need to close his eyes. "Is that what you think, Agent Hotchner?" The blade was gone from view, but Hotch could sense it traveling lightly down his body, "Maybe this will change the way that you profile…"_

"Hey," Reid's voice came suddenly and nearly caused the other agent to jump. "Um…I just thought, maybe, you could use a visitor." He stated, staying in the doorway on his crutches, leg in a cast, waiting for permission to enter.

Hotch's eyes lowered a moment, embarrassed he'd not only be caught unawares but also at his nervous reaction to his colleague's voice…a voice he'd never been startled by before. Then, recomposed, he looked at Reid and nodded his okay. "You injured your leg…how?" He inquired.

Reid smiled softly, "Saving the victim." He began to hobble in, using his crutches for support, before he was able to drop himself into a nearby chair. "How are you?"

"_Maybe this will change the way that you profile…"_

Hotch shifted a little uncomfortably a moment before clearing his throat the best he could. "Fine. I'm fine," he lied in a manner that would be obvious even to someone who wasn't a profiler. "I'm alive." Though that hardly seemed much of a plus at the moment, having lost the most important thing in his personal life, the thing he lived for outside work – his son.

Reid nodded some but stayed silent. He didn't want to press Hotch. Reid remembered the feelings he'd had right after the Henkel case and imagined Hotch felt all those now…and the last thing he wanted was to bring up those painful emotions and upset his friend. After a long time though the younger agent spoke up once more, "Weren't you frightened?" It might seem a question with an obvious answer considering but, well, that was why Reid asked. It was something Hotch could answer easily and without as much shame as other questions might bring…anyone with a human capacity for fear would've been frightened in Hotch's position.

"_Don't show fear, don't show fear!" Hotch's mind screamed out at him as Foyet stood over him topless. A scream that grew more desperate, more panicked, as Foyet got on top of him…_

"Frightened?" Hotch examined Reid curiously, as if looking for the reasoning behind the question on the man's face. "Child, you're talking to a man who's laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe…" he stated blankly before he gave small, almost regretful, smile, "I was petrified."


End file.
